Paul M. Cook said:

Well it looks like my little garden is under full scale onslaught. I must
have just had dumb luck last year. So now my young cucumber leaves are
heavily damaged. Last night they were fine, this morning they look like a
doily. The damage is pretty extensive. What insect did this? I could see
no slug trails anywhere. Can the plants survive with about 50% leaf area
destroyed?

Main suspects would be

1) cucumber beetles
2) earwigs

Both of these feed at night and hide during the day (though as the season
progresses, the cucumber beetles will become more apparent during the
day).

Cucumber beetles can often be found on the plant stems just below the
soil line or nestled deep in terminal buds. (They also like to hide in
squash blossoms.) The really bad news is that these beetles can transmit
diseases to your cucumbers (bacterial wilt and mosaic virus). Spray at
night with whatever insecticide you are comfortable with using that is
labeled for controlling cucumber beetles.

Earwigs will hide in the soil or in crevices in wood. They are easily killed with
insecticidal soap, IF you can hit them with it. This may mean spraying at night
(while they are out and feeding) or spraying the sorts of places they like to hide.
They can also be trapped.

I noticed a few of my pepper plants have leaves with large holes
in them that were also not there yesterday. I don't see the slugs getting
to those leaves so it must be something else.

I've had cutworms climb up pepper plants and feed on the leaves. Search
the soil around the base of the affected plants for a curled up caterpillar.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

"Vegetables are like bombs packed tight with all kinds of important
nutrients..." --Largo Potter, Valkyria Chronicles

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